I’m seeing a lot of awesome new products each week so thought it was about time I curated these new releases into a weekly ‘Hot List’ that’s short and snappy, giving you guys the lowdown on the latest and greatest from brands we love. What’s …
Despite the rain, wind and volatile temps here in New Zealand – it IS actually Spring. The kids are back in the routine of compulsory hat-wearing at kindy and school, which serves as a great visual reminder for me that it’s also sunscreen season. My …
Love it or loathe it, New Zealanders are slowly adopting a more favorable view of Halloween. My opinion is simply that dressing up is super-fun for kids so let them have it whilst they’re still young enough to enjoy a special, spooky night out in their neighborhood.
I’m not one to get on the sugar bandwagon either, but there’s no denying it’s definitely the time of year when littles can go crazy on excess amounts of Trick or Treat candy. Moderation is a wonderful thing but I don’t know anyone under the age of 12 – or 45? – who can resist delving into their Halloween loot a little more often than they should.
We all know that sugar and lollies are bad for kids teeth and oral health so I’ve teamed up with Philips Sonicare and come up with some ideas to help you and the kids focus on getting into the ‘theme’ of Halloween, rather than just dressing up and celebrating for the haul of Trick or Treat lollies at the end of the night!
When I watch my kids brush their teeth I swear I can count each brush stroke with ease as the boys seem to move in slow motion! They’ve realised that spending the correct amount of time brushing their teeth *might* be halfway to fooling Mum and Dad that they’ve actually done a great job! Ethan’s new Philips Sonicare toothbrush uses a dynamic side-to-side cleaning action, rather than a rotating action and has over 31,000 brush strokes per minute which helps remove more plaque than a manual toothbrush, and (I’m sure!) is hugely more effective than the snail’s pace with which he was brushing his teeth before.
We used to do this all the time when Ethan was little and walking the streets was just too much for him. This is also a great idea if you live semi-rurally or your neighborhood isn’t conducive to Trick or Treating. A party can remove the lollie element entirely and allow you to serve healthy, SPOOKY snacks the kids will love! Remember a kids party doesn’t have to be elaborate, they’ll be having tonnes of fun in dress-ups with their friends, but, if you want some party inspo, you can check out my Pinterest Halloween Party board here
Your kids will have just as much fun playing host to the neighborhood ghosts and ghouls as they would Trick or Treating themselves! Pop a orange or black balloon on the mailbox to show your house is Halloween-friendly and serve healthy, fun themed treats to whomever comes knocking! I’ve pinned loads of Healthy Halloween Treat ideas here
Who said Trick or Treating has to be all about food? Think outside the box and head to your local dollar store for some spooky bargains. Think pencils, mini spiders or other creepy-crawlies, stamps, stickers, glow-sticks or erasers. Most of these can be found in multi-packs which makes them really inexpensive and a great surprise for the kids! Or, make a batch of homemade orange play-doh, divide it up and wrap small balls in clear cellophane and tie with a green ribbon – super cute for littles!
Many cities host amazing Halloween events where kids and adults can dress up enjoy the entertainment and forget about Trick or Treating altogether! Check out Halloween in the Village if you are in Auckland.
Give Trick or Treaters something to take away that’s NOT filled with sugar! A simple craft or activity station can be a welcome respite for littlies (or parents with weary feet!). Some easy ideas can be found on my Halloween Craft board but I’m loving the Apple Pumpkin Stamps pictured by Frugal Momeh.
Fun ideas right? I hope you’re feeling excited and looking forward to a Halloween with a little less sugar this year! Philips have done a great job inspiring me to get this post out of my head and onto the blog as well as inspiring Ethan to be a little more diligent when it comes to brushing his teeth!
The toothbrush E’s using below is the New Philips Sonicare for kids. It’s totally removed my urge to monitor how long he spends brushing his teeth as it has a built-in KidTimer that lets him know when it’s time to switch to a new spot and (crucially!) when he has finished brushing his teeth. He’s also been able to customise it with fun, interchangeable stickers that have got little Nixon seething about his big brother’s new fancy toothbrush! Suitable for ages 4+ Nix will have his own soon enough. A bathroom used by two young boys can get super messy, I’m loving the anti-roll feature of the Philips Sonicare which helps keep the bathroom at least a little bit cleaner!
You can win a Philips Sonicare for Kids toothbrush RRP $99.95 right here!
To enter, comment below with a sugary treat that you’d find hard to give up and I’ll choose a winner at random 17/11/16! NZ residents only.
Ramen bowls are trending hard right now and rightly so. They are quick, easy and budget friendly meals that can smash leftovers and just as easily feed the troops on a busy weekday evening or be pared back for a perfectly sized meal for one. …
I’m seeing a lot of awesome new products each week so thought it was about time I curated these new releases into a weekly ‘Hot List’ that’s short and snappy, giving you guys the lowdown on the latest and greatest from brands we love. What’s …
It happens to all of us and more often than not you just can’t put your finger on why you woke up in such a terrible mood!
We run to a pretty tight deadline Monday to Friday. Ethan needs to leave the house by 7am to catch his school bus so a grumpy family member (large or small) can really easily throw the whole team into disarray.
As was the case this morning.
My eldest son needed some serious attitude adjustment this morning. He was stomping around the house, looking (but not finding) things with his man-eyes and getting more and more worked up with each parental intervention. I hate sending him off to school this way. It’s a long bus-ride each way making for an even longer day before I can give him a hug and tell him I love him.
This morning I had to pull out the big guns. It was time for Nutella.
Food elicits some pretty powerful emotions and is a great Mum-Tool for resetting an inflammatory situation. This isn’t about rewarding behaviour with treats or any other negative spin you want to throw at it. Food can help distract an emotional child by as they use their senses to become grounded in the present and move on from their internal struggles.
E was unable to verbalize why he felt so out of sorts this morning so it was best to just pop a basket of fruit and toast on the table and surprise the boys with the New Nutella Smile Jars.
EVERYBODY LOVES NUTELLA – in our house at least lol.
My cleverly crafted plan (read: last ditch effort) to give Ethan some space to regain his happy-mojo worked. For 10 blissful minutes there was no fighting, huffing, exaggerated sighing or even……..talking. As he was slowing down on his 3rd piece of toast he noticed the new labels on the jars (ours read FAMILY and ENJOY) and I could see the wheels turning.
Five minutes later he got up from the table, kissed Nixon on the head and said, “I love our family”.
That was that. Rise and Smile indeed!
The super-cute new Nutella Smile Jars are available in three sizes; 220g, 400g and 750g and will be wearing their new labels in store from September 26th.
Which will you choose?
In hindsight it was a totally ‘oddball’ purchase, but the first animated/family DVD we purchased when Dave and I found out we were pregnant 12.5 years ago was Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas – how can that movie have come out in 1993?! Anyway, …
I’m seeing a lot of awesome new products each week so thought it was about time I curated these new releases into a weekly ‘Hot List’ that’s short and snappy, giving you guys the lowdown on the latest and greatest from brands we love. What’s …
I’ve been in love with straight talking Lola since Ethan was little and am so happy that Nix loves these siblings just as much as his brother did.
Nixon turned 3 a couple of months ago and counting is his jam right now. He’s starting to recognise that numbers are everywhere and he wants to talk about them all the time.
And by that I mean, ALL THE TIME lol.
‘One Thing’ is classic Charlie and Lola. Charlie’s everlasting patience shepherds Lola through an excursion to the shops and they (and little readers) enjoy counting and discovering all kinds of numbers and sums simply everywhere along the way.
As a parent, the joy of both watching and reading about this loveable pair is that they are so relatable. A Charlie and Lola episode or book IS real life with under-5s! The magically inquisitive, stroppy, assertive and infinitely knowledgable Lola is somehow both of my kids simultaneously. Lauren Child does a genius job of weaving age-appropriate maths in with a tale, and characters, that will be loved by both adult readers and little listeners alike.
Available in stores or via Ebook 11/10/16.
Our 5th season as rugby parents has just come to a close, and with that our washing machine, gumboots, weekday evenings and Saturday mornings breathe a collective sigh of relief! Don’t get me wrong, we LOVE rugby, but it’s a big commitment at J1 level …